The Decamped
Joel Norman New Black Ethnographies
History and Background The year is 2028 in Rio de Janeiro. The cleaning of the favela events taken place in 2014 have gotten the community very angry. In light of the community getting angry, they started to protest and speak out against the injustices in the city of Rio. The government saw this as a threat and began to worry that a revolution might uproar. To avoid this, they amplified their security measures and placed many people on lockdown if they deemed them as possible revolutionary leaders. If people were believed to be “dangerous” by police and the government’s means, they jailed, beat, tortured and even sometimes killed individuals to retain order in Rio. Because the city is so heavily guarded and oppressive, the people of Rio begin to speak in certain codes and perform certain gestures to signal fleeing the city. As a linguistic anthropologist I have studied the way Brazilians in Rio spoke to each other in order to understand their new adaptive secret culture and ways they’ve communicated and navigated throughout Rio.
History and Background cont. I have interviewed people to understand gestures, code terminology, and languages used to communicate with one another. I have studied and learned how the community has gotten so strict, learned ways that the police and government has marginalized their people, and understood what ways some of the people of Rio found liberation away from this oppressive space. I went into this research with an open mind to fully understand the intention behind why people do the things that they do. I have considered the consequences in conducting interviews with people, how to properly navigate my way around the favelas with high police activity detected, and what valuable information I absorbed without exposing anyone’s cover. Although the people of Brazil weren’t too comfortable speaking with people outside of the favelas because they are afraid of the consequences of Rio’s military, I was provided with an inside scoop by a trusted source to conduct this study that the police force wasn’t aware of. I have also learned some of the dialect of code speaking to gain trust of people who are on the inside. It was needed in order to conduct these interviews accordingly, ensuring the trust of my interviewee before we spoke face to face.
The Decamped
Artwork: JR, “Women Are Heroes” Series
Field Notes ●
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I’ve noticed that communication is used by masonic like gestures to code and relay secret messages on to people. This is used because within Masonry, secrets are primarily upheld and coded to signify different things. Eye movements were very apparent in signaling wether to make a certain move or not. People often glance at one another very quickly then look down to avoid any suspicious activity being detected by the militia. There has been devices made by tech engineers to help infiltrate and hack devices used by the government to spy on civilians. Notes would be passed to one another in a very secret and sly manner, giving codes and secret locations of hideouts, underground church stations, and places to purchase devices to hack drones, watch dogs and candid cameras. People would often speak in a secret code which allows them to disguise their speech while talking to one another to avoid eavesdropping by the police. Many people attend church services, after and during regular service hours, multiple days a week even.
Field Notes cont. “Meet at the Church.”
“We escape tonight.”
“Come with me/ we need to hide.”
“Guard dog nearby.”
“Stay close, drones may be around.”
“Guards guiding the exit, beware.”
*Code device is being handed off.*
“Meet me in the underground tunnel.”
The Decamped
The Decamped
Technology Sub machine guns are used as standard weapons by the police of Rio de Janeiro. They are used to intimidate and bring fear amongst civilians in means to control and order. These were made by resources at PortTech, a Portuguese weapons manufacturing company. These guns come with silencers, an automatic firing mode, firing up to 12 shots a second and a ray sensor to locate drugs hidden in any area within a 30 meter radius. These ultra powerful guns were administered to the police force after noted violence rummaged the streets of Rio. Also administered to the military and police force are drones and robot “dogs” to patrol the streets of Rio as surveillance in the favelas. These technology gadgets are to ensure that no one possible is able to escaping Rio. They are designed to capturing, tormenting, and subduing civilians if they try to rebel against their government.
The Decamped
Spirituality Upholding its tradition and honor of its heritage, Brazil remains to be primarily Catholic Christian. There still remain many churches as a place for worship and guidance is essential towards everything that is going on. Secret meetings are also held in the basement of these churches to better educate the people on how to speak in secret code, how body language is used to communicate with one another and aid is provided to those who have been abused by the military and police force. Instead of traditional Sunday services at church, services are now attended 2 days a week, every Tuesday and Sunday. In addition to Catholicism, Brazil has adapted another religion called Misturar which means “intermix� in Portuguese. The intermix comes from the adaptation of Catholicism mixed with traditional African rituals and practices. The usage of African rituals and practices allow a deeper connection with spirits and alters a state of consciousness. Many people use this for different reasons such as allow deeper connections for guidance, protection, and safety.
The Decamped
Interview Paola Guerra, 26, a nurse practitioner. -In the basement of the Roman Church- I knock on the door. Paola answers, “Hello” with the door shut but nothing but a sliding peephole to observe the visitor. I greet Paola by whistling three times and saying, “Those eyes cannot see beneath the surface.” She allows me in. JN: Hello, Paolo, right? PG: Hi. JN: Would it be okay if I asked you a couple questions? I’m willing to help. PG: Help, haha. We’ll see. JN: So what’s been going on with the police lately? PG: They’re scaring us. We can’t shop, eat, or have leisure time without being watched. It’s sickening and I’m tired of it.
Interview cont. JN: Do you think this will all be over? PG: I don't know personally. It’s been so chaotic for so long my optimism has run out. I’m just tired of living in fear each and every day. JN: So why don’t you but the first plane ticket out of here? PG: *Chuckles*. It’s not nearly as easy as it may seem. They don’t want us to leave, the military, the police, the government. They don’t want us to leave they want us to stay put and control us. We’re so trapped here and if someone as much abts an eye the wrong way, they could potentially be killed. JN: I’ve heard of the corruption of higher forces and the abuse of their power, but why has it gotten this bad? PG: They fucked up that’s why.
Interview Cont. JN: Who, exactly? If you don’t mind elaborating. PG: Everyone who has a badge, every person in a uniform that carries a gun, and everyone with some sort of power over us. They came into our homes, they came into our space of safety and slaughtered us. All for fucking what? So these tourists can piss away their money on an overpriced sports contest and but up all our shit? Luckily I wasn’t here. I was away at study to come home to candle light vigils everywhere and protest everyday. JN: May you go further into that? What do you mean? PG: Shit is fucked up around here. The cops ain’t helping anyone. If anything they’re worse than the gangs out here. This government is actually the worst thing out of everyone. Because they lie under this oath they swear to protect but betray their morals each and every fucking day. Everything is so corrupt out here who don’t know who to trust anymore. It’s been different around here since the cleaning. JN: How do you cope with something as traumatic as this, if possible?
Interview cont. PG: We try to uplift our spirits by Misturar and a lot of fasting and cleansing. It connects and make us feel like we’re not alone. That we’re protected despite what we see on the surface. JN: What do you plan to do? What about your family, your loved ones? PG: We plan to survive, by all means-- seek freedom. JN: And what would that entail? PG: I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. Trust has grown thin if you weren’t aware. We just can’t reveal anything to anyone anymore because we’re scared for our lives. JN: *Stretches arm out and recites*, “He who stands tall watches over us all.” You can trust me. I would never want to hurt you. PG: So you know, you know too much. Who are you again? JN: Just someone trying to understand...I’m a friend of Vincent. PG: So my brother brought you here huh?
Interview cont. JN: He said you would be the one to talk to, if anyone. I heard you used to attend the protests. PG: I did. I did what I could. But I saw it getting too scary out there and I had to protect myself and my family, so I stopped. JN: What were some of the things that the police and military would typically do to protestors? PG: Kill em, and if they’re kids they’d lock them away. They’ve demonized us, painted us under a light which conducts a false narrative of the people of the favelas. They view us as if we’re all guilty, as if we’re the ones who came into our own homes and killed our family members. JN: How does one escape all this madness? PG: They leave. JN: But how? With all this surveillance, with all these guards? PG: We have our ways...
The Decamped
In the End... There were about 90,000 people who escaped before the militia caught on. The people who left haven’t been back since. The rest of the people left in Rio were placed under extreme lockdown for 3 years. Going forward, the police and military reverted their oppressive ways under the law from elected President Alexandre Rodrigues. Under Alexandre Rodrigues, citizens were granted their civil rights, the law to speak and walk freely in Brazil. The citizens of Rio were also funded by the government to create safe schools, art centers, and musical venues in the favelas. The people who escaped were reconnected with some their families in Rio when they heard it was governed by a new leader. Others chose to stay away in fear.
Annotations and Bibliography 1.
Avella, Carlos Eduardo Gómez. “Brazil: Cleaning out Favelas.” LatinAmerican Post, 26 Nov. 2019, latinamericanpost.com/16681-brazil-cleaning-out-favelas.
In “Brazil: Cleaning Out the Favelas”, the article gave backstory on the events following the Rio Olympics of Brazil. The cleaning out of the favelas took place because of the impoverished people being “undesirable” to the tourists who would visit Rio. The crime was rampant in Rio which also scared the tourist who came to visit to attend the event. The government has issued police and military forces to enter homes fo people they deemed violent and slaughtered them in cold blood. This is vital to my story as it’s the basis of why the people protested and rioted in Brazil. It made the community angry and vocalized their distraught and pain through a series of marchings, stand ins, and strikes. 2.
Ram, Ashwin N., and Kevin C. Chung. “Study of Hand Signs in Judeo-Christian Art.” The Journal of Hand Surgery, W.B. Saunders, 30 Aug. 2008, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0363502308000415.
“Study of Hand Signs in Judeo-Christian Art” spoke about the various ways hand signs are used in religion and masonry. This article also talks about how hand gestures played a crucial role in religious art, primarily Christianity. In the article it states, “The hands are structured in a way that optimizes human interaction with the environment. Beyond their apparent motor and tactile functions, the hands can also impart a variety of informative signs and expressive gestures to serve as an important means of nonverbal communication.” This is important to this piece because it gives an introduction into the certain hand signs the people in the favelas would emulate to code and disguise their whereabouts and plans for escape. The people in the favelas would adapt hand signals as a form of communication to delegate amongst their peers and families. 3.
Aquino, Andre Carlos Busanelli de. “Abrindo a Caixa, Em Busca Da Interdisciplinaridade.” Meu Título, sites.usp.br/psag/abrindo-caixa-em-busca-da-interdisciplinaridade/.
In this article, it speaks on the various ways politicians and government officials have abused their power to oppress and marginalize the people in Brazil. This is important to my study as it is one factor of the various protests in Brazil. The people of Rio sought this out to be unjust and inhumane and were upset about it. For too long they’ve seen an abuse of privilege and corruption of higher officials and needed to speak out against the injustices that were birthed from it..
Annotations and Bibliography 4.
Alberto C. G., et al. “Ecological Awareness and Risk Perception in Brazil.” AnthroSource, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 8 Jan. 2008, anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/napa.1995.15.1.71.
In Ecological Awareness and Risk Perception in Brazil, Alberto Costa highlights Brazil’s economic development and their society's environmental awareness. He touches on how the environmentalist ideologies of leaders in Brazil manifested its current political force and how its driven today. This is important to my research as I understand how police and military forces are inspired by other means of power throughout history and why they deem the abuse of power acceptable. This is also important to understand the ecology of development, resources and citizens in Brazil. I would need to know this information to figure out how to properly navigate in this highly armed, guarded and secured environment to ensure my safety and the others I engage with.
5.
Greenfield, Sidney M. “A FAITH‐BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT FOR SLUM DWELLERS IN BRAZIL.” AnthroSource, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (10.1111), 2 July 2010, anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1556-4797.2010.01042.x.
In, "A Faith‐Based Mental Health And Development Project For Slum Dwellers in Brazil”, Sidney Greenfield dives into the world of health amongst the people in the favelas. It speaks on the harsh realities of living in the favelas and things people need to do in order to survive. Mental health, spiritual health, and living conditions play a big part in the behaviors of the citizens in Rio and how they conduct a society as a whole. It helps me, as an anthropologist understand the feelings and state of comfortability and how that plays a part in their comfortability or lack thereof. It guides me into an understanding of how the community conducts itself and how the culmination of individuals is so important to a life of connectivity, peace, and prosperity.